Gravelle Twins Go 1-2 in WECSSAA 100m Hurdles

Madison and Kaitlyn Gravelle swept the top two spots at the WECSSAA Track and Field Championships, earning their berths at SWOSSA in Sandwich.

WECSSAA Track & Field Championships  ·  Girls 100m Hurdles Final

Pos	Athlete	School	Time	Conditions
1	Madison Gravelle Advances to SWOSSA	St. Joseph's Catholic	13.91	+10 pts · 0.7 m/s · H1
2	Kaitlyn Gravelle Advances to SWOSSA	St. Joseph's Catholic	14.16	+8 pts · 0.7 m/s · H1
3	Olivia Douma	St. Thomas of Villanova	15.20	+6 pts · 0.7 m/s · H1

It was a family affair at the top of the podium as 18-year-old twins Madison and Kaitlyn Gravelle of St. Joe's went first and second respectively in the girls 100m hurdles, a rivalry four years in the making — and one both sisters say makes them better athletes.

Madison: chasing history

Gold in hand, Madison has her sights set on the sprint hurdles interscholastic record, an all-of-Canada mark for high school athletes. It's her primary target but she acknowledges that conditions haven't cooperated yet.

"I was really trying to get that record this year, but the weather just hasn't been on my side so far. But that's okay, it was a good race. It was strong. A great field of girls to compete against." Gravelle told Powerplay Sports.

After three consecutive silver medals at the championship level, Madison is equally motivated by a more personal goal. "For the past three years I've been silver. There's always been one person ahead of me so I really, really want that gold this year."

She and Kaitlyn share nearly every event on the card — the 400m hurdles, the sprint hurdles, and whatever flat races they enter. The only separation comes in field events: Kaitlyn does the long jump while Madison, who previously competed in high jump, has added the 200m to her programme this season.

"We train together every single day, we live together. It's just great having her there for both the support and the ability to push me to be better for myself and to be better for her." Madison said.

Kaitlyn: confidence and competition

For Kaitlyn, her runner-up finish in the sprint hurdles was a confidence boost. She admitted she hasn't been running her best times of late, but last week's performance was a reminder of what she's capable of when she executes her race plan.

"That race was definitely just a confidence booster for me, just to get me kind of back in the swing of things. I just wanted to focus on my start because that's always a rough patch for me and then I wanted to focus on being fast in between the hurdles too. I think I really executed those really well." she said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgx5CGneQaA

Kaitlyn's goals for the season span both hurdle distances. In the distance hurdles, she's targeting a sub-seven-minute time. In the sprints, she has a simpler objective: stay as close to her twin as possible.

"In the distance hurdles, I'm thinking, she's not beating me and she probably has the same in the sprint hurdles where she's thinking, she's not passing me. It helps us push each other a little bit more."

Asked what it's like to race your twin year after year, Kaitlyn didn't hesitate: "There's definitely some ups and downs about it for sure but it's mostly super positive, especially with us, since we both have our strong suits in opposite events. We're usually just there to support each other through it all. Beating each other doesn't really affect either of us."

The twins also helped St. Joe's finish first and set a record in the mixed co-ed 4x400m relay.

Both Madison and Kaitlyn Gravelle will compete at the SWOSSA Championships this week at Sandwich Secondary School.